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I think there's another aspect here that the author is missing: break expectations, but do it in a way that confirms existing biases. It's not just "this thing

I think there's another aspect here that the author is missing: break expectations, but do it in a way that confirms existing biases. It's not just "this thing people believe is wrong", but "this thing people believe is wrong, but you were never one of those people, were you? you and me, we're more clever than that". breaking expectations in a way that makes people feel stupid for having those expectations in the first place isn't going to win you an audience. - snowboarding with the NYPD: haven't you always wanted the roads to be shut down for everybody else, and you were the only one allowed on them? - Bike Lanes: authority figure doing something stupid, gets called out for it. everybody's got a bit of an anti-authority streak and can sympathise with this - Make it Count. spend a big company's money on your personal travel? who wouldn't want to do that. - Bike thief: it's easy to see how viewers would like to feel they'd be better than all the people who ignored the "bike theives" - iPod’s Dirty Secret: doesn't everybody wish their electronics lasted longer, and harbor a suspicion that the big rich tech companies are ripping them off?

jacobush 8y ago
I really want to snowboard with the NYPD.
puranjay 8y ago
I was just going to say the same thing. It works even better when you play up to a small group's beliefs. Or even better when you confirm something a larger group aspires to, but wants an excuse to get out of. The bike lanes video is the perfect example. - It plays to the belief of bikers that the city doesn't care about them and keeps ruining bike lanes. "SEE?! How difficult it is to be a biker in NYC? This is what we deal with everyday!" - It plays to the belief of people who want to be bikers (it is a healthy hobby after all), but want a convenient excuse for it. "SEE!?! This is why I don't bike - there are obstacles everywhere!" There's something of the hero/martyr complex in there as well ("I'm a hero because I bike to work despite all the obstacles") Same with the iPod video. It confirms the biases of the Apple haters (and there are plenty of them) as the company being closed and anti-consumer.

jacobush 8y ago

I really want to snowboard with the NYPD.

puranjay 8y ago

I was just going to say the same thing. It works even better when you play up to a small group's beliefs. Or even better when you confirm something a larger group aspires to, but wants an excuse to get out of. The bike lanes video is the perfect example. - It plays to the belief of bikers that the city doesn't care about them and keeps ruining bike lanes. "SEE?! How difficult it is to be a biker in NYC? This is what we deal with everyday!" - It plays to the belief of people who want to be bikers (it is a healthy hobby after all), but want a convenient excuse for it. "SEE!?! This is why I don't bike - there are obstacles everywhere!" There's something of the hero/martyr complex in there as well ("I'm a hero because I bike to work despite all the obstacles") Same with the iPod video. It confirms the biases of the Apple haters (and there are plenty of them) as the company being closed and anti-consumer.